This is not intended to be a troll per se (even though every post is a troll). I'm hoping for a dialogue and perhaps some photos and vids to entertain, as well? No need for a slag fest about bolts or trad vs sport or any of that shyte, imo. Let's focus on the positive? Please???

I decided to ask as I watched the video below, yet again. I am taken by the climb and the climber, the position and as HFCS put it (thanks again for porting it HFCS), the textures and colors of the Verdon, a climb in such a wild position with such a variety of moves, a climber going all-out to her limit and then perhaps some... and succeeding.

I love it.

For me sport climbing, at least at present, is not about going all out. And yet I do think that doing so IS part of the gig and the essence of sport climbing.

i would have to agree. its about the ability to focus on just the difficulty of the moves, and thus, to push said difficulty a lot further. very similar to bouldering for me, just longer, with a rope, and with a power-endurance aspect i suppose.

Sport climbing allowed the physical gymnastic standards to explode by removing the "rules" about fair play.

Some folks are more into pure athletics."

What are you talking about? Rules? We are talking about freaking CLIMBING! All forms of it are supposed to be fun, and than it only matters how serious you take it and how obsessive you are about improving. I donít think the rules apply to climbing. Every single participant makes up his own rules. And if a bunch of people in one area agree to one set of rules due to peer pressure etc it doesnít mean the whole world must play, or respect those rules.
I do not sport climb often, but when I do I have a good time. In Peru for example it gave me time to rest mentally and get excited about climbing the high mountains again. It is good training. I still am afraid to fall even though I know there is a bolt below me.
God, if I cared about every single rule other people have...

That was one of the coolest places I have ever climbed...the little towns and wine, the entire atmosphere was unbelievable...My favorite part was driving fast down the roads in the canyon, so much fun..

When I picture myself about to go sport climbing, or a trip has been planned that I'm psyched for.... I think about uninterrupted movement. As close to performance art as possible. Move, move, execute... when you take the mental game out it can be fun, too.

Of course nothing gets me up early like traditional climbing, going from stance to stance and conserving gear while punching through cruxes... ahh.

My attitude toward sport climbing goes back and forth, I think depending on how successful I am at it. I'm certainly one of the usual suspects around Lander for putting up a lot of sport climbs in the Sinks (around 80 or so)but having a long trad background, I sometimes start looking down my nose at it as a practice for a bunch of punks that are too chicken to get more than 4' out from a bolt that would hold a medium sized SUV.

I still subscribe to the idea that getting out there and committed on the lead or failing ugly is when you really learn to climb: the whole package of mental and emotional control as well as good technique and talent all come to a point and I still think that is the all time experience I look for in climbing, though, getting on in my 60s, I'm not as bold and crazy as I think I used to be.

The advantage of sport climbing, for me, is that I can work on technique at the limit of my ability and not worry much about smacking the ground because the pieces pull. I think it has helped improve my technical ability on trad. So it's been valuable and fun, but I feel it's sort of like eating M&Ms, you never seem to get enough of something that makes it feel complete. So I get out and trad climb, alpine climb, water ice in the winter, and get that completion.

It seems to work fine as the main pursuit for a lot of people and I say, great. You're all concentrated at Wild Iris and the Sinks and Rifle and not in the mountains, so us strange gear placers and runners users can have that to ourselves.